Hublot loves Daniel Arsham!
Hublot has a soft spot for Daniel Arsham's work. By naming modern American artist Daniel Arsham as its new Ambassador, the Swiss watchmaker shows it is committed to its mission of being the first and the only. Daniel is a multi-disciplinary artist who excels in the New York City art scene. His works include painting, sculpture, installation, and video. Many of his works, such as the Connecting Time series and the now-iconic Hourglass, deal with the idea of time.
Daniel will unveil a temporary 20-metre sundial in the snowscape of the Swiss mountain resort of Zermatt, in the shadow of the Matterhorn, the most recognisable peak in the Swiss Alps, to mark the start of the clock on the new collaboration and to celebrate the eternal links between watchmaking, art, and craft. Light & Time is a temporary art exhibit that fuses the tradition of timekeeping with the skill of land art through the use of natural elements. The quartz-crystal obelisk casts shadows that are used to accurately measure time in an external setting. When the snow is raked, the centre pointer's shadow reveals the time as the sun moves across the sky. Arsham successfully combined aesthetics and utility by fashioning a sundial out of materials found in the Swiss Mountains. Using snow and light, he establishes a link between his own crystallised world and the tradition and history of Swiss watchmaking at Hublot. The timepiece will be a nod to Hublot's aesthetic, incorporating design elements like the Big Bang's signature screws. As an added bonus, the sculpture can only be seen from the peak of the mountain. Art enthusiasts will have to ride the ski lifts of Zermatt to see it.
Ricardo Guadalupe and Daniel Arsham in front of the LIGHT AND TIME Art Installation
Daniel is having a pivotal year this year. It's been 20 years since he first gained widespread notice in the art world after receiving the Gelman Trust Fellowship Award and the prestigious GNMH Award. Since then, he's established himself as one of the most important and sought-after working artists of our time. He has worked with the likes of Hedi Slimane (a fashion designer), Kim Jones (artistic director of Dior), Porsche, and Pokémon, and he attended New York's Cooper Union. His work has been shown in New York, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and London. Commentators have called his work "mythical modern archaeology" for the way he erodes and reforms commonplace forms.
Daniel Arsham’s LIGHT AND TIME Art Installation created for the announcement of his ambassadorship with Hublot
Zermatt was the perfect place to begin discussing potential cooperation with Daniel. Those people here wear Hublot watches. Hublot Boutique Zermatt, decorated in a woodsy chalet style, sets the tone for the entire lodge, which features Hublot branding and uses Hublot timepieces. To reach the peak, riders take the Hublot-Express, a high-speed funicular that travels the 954 metres required to reach the peak. Since 2017, Hublot has released four special edition timepieces for Zermatt to commemorate the brand's longstanding commitment to the Swiss watchmaking capital.
Hublot also has extensive ties to the international cultural scene. 10 years of "Hublot Adores Art" were commemorated in 2021. Joining the ranks of such artistic and musical greats as Richard Orlinski, Takashi Murakami, Maxime Plescia-Buchi, Lang Lang, and Samuel Ross, Daniel Arsham has become the newest member of the Hublot Family of Advocates.
